Intelligent SME.tech Issue 17 | Page 9

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Workers demand universal access to high-performance broadband

Cisco ’ s Broadband Index has revealed people value access to the Internet more than ever before . According to the global survey of almost 60,000 workers across 30 countries about their home broadband access , quality and usage , economic and societal growth will not happen without universal access to fast and reliable Internet .

Nearly half ( 48 %) of the workforce now relies on their home Internet to work from home or run their own business . This is especially critical for small and medium-sized enterprises ( SMEs ), that do not have the same resources and IT infrastructure of larger enterprises . A new digital business environment has emerged where ambitious entrepreneurs and start-ups can prosper , fostering innovation across industries .

According to the World Bank , SMEs represent about 90 % of businesses and more than 50 % of employment worldwide . In emerging markets , SMEs create seven out of 10 jobs . Broadband will therefore play a key role in the growth and evolution of this core business category .

Global growth programme launched to incentivise trade in UK

The West Midlands Global Growth Programme , a new Government-backed incentive package to bolster trade and investment between the West Midlands and global markets , has launched .

The programme , led by the West Midlands Growth Company ( WMGC ), in collaboration with the Department for International Trade ( DIT ), has been designed to incentivise ambitious businesses to enter the UK market through a tailored package of free support . Thirty companies will be selected for this accelerator programme , which will be housed at the Innovation Birmingham Campus , part of Bruntwood Sci-Tech , the region ’ s leading digital tech campus in the heart of Birmingham .

Neil Rami , Chief Executive , West Midlands Growth Company , said : “ The West Midlands represents the UK ’ s fastest growing tech sector and is home to the country ’ s only large-scale 5G testbed – offering innovative enterprises in particular , an exclusive proving ground for testing emergent technologies .”

Hong Kong SMEs accelerate digitalisation efforts

Small to medium-sized enterprises ( SMEs ) in Hong Kong have made significant progress in digitalising their businesses and will continue to invest in digital technologies , according to a recent survey conducted by QBE Hong Kong .

The drive for digitalisation has continued among Hong Kong SMEs , QBE ’ s annual SME survey reveals . More than half ( 57 %) said they have digitalised during the past 12 months to reduce internal costs , boost productivity and reach more customers .

“ The survey provides useful insights on the challenges that SMEs in Hong Kong are facing ,” said Lei Yu , CEO North Asia and Regional Head of Distribution at QBE Asia . “ The findings show that SMEs are catching up quickly in utilising digital technologies to help achieve their evolving business goals .”

To overcome the challenges , SMEs are adopting digital technologies and looking for flexible business models to help improve business performance and resilience .